The Harkin Summit: Innovating for Inclusion

Doubling Disability Employment In A Changing Landscape

Keynote Speaker: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

As New York City’s 109th mayor, Bill de Blasio is committed to fighting the income inequality that has created a ‘Tale of Two Cities’ across the five boroughs. Mayor de Blasio believes all New Yorkers deserve a chance to succeed in the greatest city on earth. That means every child gets a quality education, every community is safe, and every New Yorker has an affordable place to call home.

The 109th Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, came into office in 2014 determined to ensure that this city remains a place for everyone.

Since assuming office in 2014, the de Blasio administration has developed and executed transformative initiatives including Pre-K for All; Paid Sick Leave; neighborhood policing; IDNYC; and Housing New York, the largest, most ambitious affordable housing plan in the nation.

As the Mayor’s second term begins, crime is at historic lows and police and communities are coming together. Student test scores are up citywide and the graduation rate has never been higher. A five-borough economy has emerged, with a record number of jobs. New York is building or preserving affordable apartments at a pace not seen in decades and the city is ahead of its commitment to cut greenhouse emissions 80 percent by 2050.

But there is much more to do and Mayor de Blasio has pledged to work tirelessly to make this the fairest big city in America. This includes deepening neighborhood policing and further reducing crime; adding 3-K to our school system; increasing the original affordable housing goals by 100,000 apartments; and creating 100,000 good-paying jobs.

Mayor de Blasio will also continue to be an outspoken progressive voice on issues that touch the lives of his fellow New Yorkers, including: income inequality, early childhood education, immigration reform, infrastructure, and voting rights. These issues of basic fairness for every New Yorker have animated Mayor de Blasio’s life and career across three decades of activism and public service.

Bill de Blasio was born on May 8, 1961 in Manhattan and raised in Cambridge, MA. He is a graduate of New York University and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He began his career in public service in 1989 as part of David N. Dinkins’ successful and historic mayoral campaign and worked in the Dinkins Administration.

Over the next decade, Mr. de Blasio served as regional director at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; as a school board member for Brooklyn School District 15; and as head of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s historic campaign in 2000 for the U.S. Senate.

In 2002, Mr. de Blasio joined the New York City Council, representing Brooklyn’s 39th district. During his two terms, Mr. de Blasio fought to improve public education, expand affordable housing, protect tenants’ rights, and reform social services for families and children. Elected Public Advocate in 2009, he pursued fairness for tenants, taxpayers, and students.

Mr. de Blasio has been happily married to Chirlane McCray, the First Lady of New York City, since 1994. They are the proud parents of Chiara and Dante.